Parking fines are causing frustration among drivers on a regular basis. Nottingham resident Nikita Betton was shocked to receive a parking charge accusing her of leaving her car at a retail park for almost 18 hours, despite only being there for about 10 minutes. Betton explained that she had visited Springfield Retail Park in Bulwell to go to the pound shop and later received a notice claiming her vehicle had been parked there from mid-afternoon one day until the following morning.

The parking charge, issued by Premier Park just before Christmas on December 23, alleged that Betton’s car was parked from 3.36pm on December 18 until 9.21am the next day, exceeding the permitted limit by more than 14 hours. She was asked to pay £60, with the amount rising to £100 if not settled promptly.

Expressing her disbelief, Betton stated, “I was absolutely dumbfounded. I was there for 10 minutes, if that, to go to the pound shop. We go there all the time, we’ve been going for years and never had anything like this. Christmas is already hard without receiving a parking fine letter.”

Betton, a mother of four from Arnold, provided evidence showing she was elsewhere during the alleged parking period, such as doing the school run and visiting other shops. She has contested the charge, submitting bank statements to support her case, but has not received a response yet.

She also mentioned that the only contact number provided for further inquiries required payment, leaving her uncertain about how to challenge the charge effectively.

Concerns about unfair parking enforcement practices have been raised by campaigners. Hugh Bladon from the Alliance of British Drivers expressed that such cases are not uncommon and suggested that motorists should not hesitate to challenge fines that they believe are unjustly issued.

This incident is part of a trend where motorists across the UK face fines in situations they consider unreasonable or disproportionate. In a similar case reported by Mirror Online in November 2025, a business trainer, Christian Wolstencroft, was fined £100 for overstaying by just seven minutes at an OK Diner car park in Leominster, Herefordshire.

Wolstencroft briefly stopped at the car park but had to leave urgently due to a family emergency. Despite explaining the circumstances, he received a penalty from Smart Parking Ltd, highlighting the challenges faced by drivers in contesting parking fines.

The growing frustration among motorists indicates that parking enforcement, whether by private companies or local authorities, has become increasingly complex to challenge.